Sparda (Devil Arm)
|element=Demon-forged''Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, '''Combat Adjudicator — Force Edge': "I am the combat adjudicator. Only a demon-forged blade can move me." |game1=Devil May Cry |game2=Devil May Cry 2 |game3=Devil May Cry 3 |game4=Devil May Cry 4 |type=Devil Arm |gallery_name=Sword of Sparda }} The Sparda and its unawakened form, the Force EdgeDevil May Cry, Devil Arms — Force Edge: "A memento of Dante's father, Sparda.", is the beloved demon-forged sword''Devil May Cry 2, '''Weapon File — Sparda': "The Dark Knight's beloved sword." wielded by the The Dark Knight Sparda himself''Devil May Cry, '''Devil Arms — Sparda': "It's the true form of the Force Edge, the sword wielded by the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda.", and magically imbued with his power.Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, Devil Arms File — Force Edge: "A sword magically imbued with Sparda's power. A powerful sword with great hidden potential." Throughout the series, the sword is recognized as a source of god-like power, and in both Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 4, it was the main objective of the villains. It is Dante's default weapon in Devil May Cry, and Trish's in Devil May Cry 2. In addition, Vergil is able to summon spectral versions of the Force Edge as his Summoned Swords. Story The Sparda was originally wielded by the Dark Knight Sparda himself, but when he closed the gate between the Human and Demon Worlds, he also sealed his demonic power inside his beloved sword in order to ensure the strength of the seal. Sparda also took the Perfect Amulet, causing the sword's own natural powers to fall asleep and become the Force Edge. Many centuries later, however, Arkham conspired to obtain the sword, and through it, Sparda's power, which he would use to rule the world. He manages to manipulate Dante, Vergil, and Lady into allowing him to obtain the Perfect Amulet and opening the gate to the Netherworld for him, thus allowing him to both acquire the sword and awaken its power. After drawing the sword, he takes the form of Sparda, but because it does not resonate with him like it later did with Dante and Sanctus, he was unable to control its immense power and mutates into a hideous, blob-like form''Devil May Cry 3, '''Vergil': "You should come to realize you cannot control the power of Sparda.", which is quickly slain by Dante and Vergil. As Arkham's demonic form dissolves, the Force Edge and Perfect Amulet fall further into the Netherworld, and both Dante and Vergil dive after them. They fight over the weapon, and though Vergil is defeated, he retains his half of the amulet. Dante then returns to the Human World with the Force Edge. Dante takes up the Force Edge as his own sword, calling it "Woozy"Devil May Cry, "Informant Enzo Ferino's Testimony: "I seen him take on a dozen villains with only his strange sword...the one he calls Woozy." and takes it with him to the castle on Mallet Island in the Rebellion's stead. Throughout his mission there, he periodically encounters the dark knight Nelo Angelo, who is mysteriously shaken when he notices Dante's part of the amulet. After Nelo Angelo is finally defeated and revealed as Vergil, Dante obtains the other half of the amulet and the Sparda is reawakened. It later allows him to take Sparda's form in the final battle with Mundus. Afterward, he plants the sword as a memorial to the seemingly dead Trish, but when Trish is later revealed to be alive and carrying the sword, he allows her to keep it. When not in use, Trish leaves the Sparda hanging on the wall of . After Lady explains the problems she is having with the Order of the Sword to Dante and Trish, Trish takes the sword and leaves without asking Dante's permission. Disguised as Gloria, she gives the Sparda to Sanctus in order to win his trust and infiltrate the Order, since they need the sword in order to empower their greatest tool, The Savior. Sanctus later resonates with the weapon and uses it against Nero, though his inhumanity does not allow him to fully control it. After Nero defeats Sanctus and rescues Kyrie from being used as the core of The Savior, he gives the Sparda back to its rightful owner, Dante. Other appearances ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'' and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 The awakened Sparda is used by Trish and the dormant form is used at the same time by Vergil and in Dante's alternate costume. ''Sengoku Basara Sanada Yukimura's sixth weapon is two Sparda swords. Along with the Sparda, Yukimura is equipped with the Ifrit as arm guards. Devil May Cry Volume One The Force Edge is Tony Redgrave's primary weapon. Gameplay The Force Edge is Dante's default weapon in ''Devil May Cry. It is relatively weak compared to the Alastor. When awakened, the Sparda has the uncanny ability to shift forms, from sword to spear to scythe. The Sparda changes into a spear when using Stinger or Million Stab, and a scythe when using Round Trip. The Sparda lacks a Devil Trigger, meaning that Nightmare-β and DT healing cannot be used while the sword is equipped; however, it makes up for this in raw damage. During the battle with Mundus, Dante is able to activate Sparda's Devil Trigger, which does not allow him to heal but does extend the weapon's range and grant him new moves. Yamato's Devil Trigger takes the form of the Sparda, allowing access to the Sparda's techniques in addition to the Alastor techniques it already shares. In Devil May Cry 2, the Force Edge replaces the Rebellion for Dante's Devil May Cry costume. It behaves exactly the same as the Rebellion. The awakened Sparda is also the main weapon for the bonus character, Trish. Trish is able to use several moves taken from the original Devil May Cry which are unique to the Sparda. In Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, Vergil uses the Force Edge in conjunction with the Yamato. In addition, the Force Edge replaces the Rebellion for Dante's Devil May Cry and "Legendary Dark Knight" costumes. It behaves exactly the same as the Rebellion, except that it changes all of Dante's Devil Triggers so that they resemble Sparda. Movesets ''Devil May Cry'' Devil May Cry 2 Devil May Cry 3 Trivia *In the epilogue scene of Devil May Cry, Trish is shown wielding the Sparda at the same time Dante wields the Force Edge. *If the Sparda Devil Trigger in the first game is obtained via gameshark or similar device, the damage output will make short work of every boss and enemy in the game except Mundus. *The awakened Sparda bears some resemblance to the demonic sword Soul Edge from Namco's Soul series. *Among all the weapons in the series, the Sparda has the highest number of known wielders (Sparda, Arkham, Vergil, Dante, Trish, Sanctus, and Nero). It is right above the Yamato, and the two blades share five wielders. *In the introductory cutscene of Devil May Cry 4, the Scarecrow blade that Nero steals resembles a rusted Sparda sword. Notes and references